“When and if that time comes, I know I’m much better prepared than I was before, obviously having a chance to be with Coach (Nick) Saban and learning from him,” Kiffin said.

The 40-year-old has already been in charge of Tennessee, USC and the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.

He said he’ll need to establish his own identity when his next opportunity arrives.

“I wouldn’t go try to be him,” Kiffin said of Saban. “I think sometimes when you’re young, you try too much to be Pete Carroll because you came from him, but you have to eventually try and figure out yourself and say, ‘OK, this is what I take from here, here and here.'”

While Kiffin is likely to stick around in 2016, not even his boss thinks he’ll be in Tuscaloosa much longer.

“I’d say it’s just a matter of time before he’s a head coach again,” Saban said.